Steam-heating system.



jnrrnn STATES PATENT orrron THOMAS E. DEXTER, or PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

STEAM-HEATING SYSTEM. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 29, 1907.

Application filed November 25, 1905. Serial No. 289,064

To ar/Z5 whom it nut-y concern: 'Be it known that I, THOMAS F. Dnx'rnu, a citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of Providence, in the countyot Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvenients in Steam Heating Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improved means for automatically disposing of or exhausting the Water of condensation from the radiators or heaters of low-pressure steamheating systems. l

In steam-heating systems of the class re'.

ferred to and as usually'devised the steamactuated vacuum" or circulating pumps employed for pumping the-water of condensation from the radiators into a hot-well or boiler are liable in normal action to become 2o temporarily inoperative by reason of the infiow of steam from the return-main of the system whenever the pump has exhausted the body of water therefrom. In such case the pump, owing to the loss of the suctionhead, becomes hot by reason of the higher temperature of the inflowing steam, runs with increasing speed, or -races, as it is termed, and no useful work results, but instead adoss'of steam and power. In some 0 l ater seal-is employed in the returnmain. This, however, fails to wholly correct tomatically-operating means adapted to wholly overcome the before-mentioned disadvantages, the arrangement being such that an eflicient water seal is maintained in the return-main at all times, thereby preventing the direct influx of steam from the main into the pump and also dispensing with the use of condensin "water.

In carrying out'my invention the returnmain is placed in continuous open communication w th the radiator and pump, said main. being provided with an interposedtially as usual. the defect ust referred to, because the action valveless continuously maintained Water seal or trap. ..The main is also provided With a yalveless condensing coil in continuous open communication with the mam and bridging said seal and arranged whereby the greater volume of the water. of condensation in the heating system flows from said main into the circulating-pump by gravity, said open coil. at the same time receiving and con- (lensing any steam or vapor passing there'- through, the corresponding or resulting water flowing into the main at a point beyond said trap. At the same time, too, the air then having a com aratively lowtemperature alsoflows throng the coil and passes uninterruptedly to the pump, .thereby producing in l the latter a practically normalmovement and preventing the breaking of the seal and the resulting abnormal action of the pum In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my improvement in vacuum heating systems, the return-main a thereof is adapted to be connected with the outlet or discharge end. of the radiators in any suitable way, in

practice a vacuum-valve, so called, or

other analogous device having a contracted passage 'therethrough being employed, as

indicated at o, the latter opening directly into said return-main at a point contiguous to the lower end h of the radiator, substan- The return-main a is valveless and open. throughout its length and discharges'into the continuously-running vacuum-pump, (indicated at 1),) the latter being located below the general level of pipe a, At a point, say, near the pump the pipe is bent downwardly to form a U-shaped seal or trap s, which is always kept filled with water,

thus checking and preventing any steam or vaporwhich may have passed from the radiator and outlet 01 into the main afrom entering the pump. Whenever the level of the hot water in the main rises above that in the seal, as at a, the surplus flows directly there from to the pump by gravity action alone.

In order to provide meansfor condensing the steam or vapor which may be in the main :2, as well as to prevent the pump from drawing o'r siphoning the water out of the seal, I employa continuously-open suitable surface condenser or cooling-coil c, the same'b'eing valveless and extending vertically above the main a. The inlet end 0 of the condenser enters the return-main in advance or" the seal, its outlet or discharge end 0 tapping the mambeyondthe-seal in fact,bridgingitall 1 return-main and pump as clearly shown. Thus it will be evident that the normal temperature of the air surrounding the condenser will operate to condense any steam or vapor, say, of 190 to 212 temperature circulating therein, said water of condensation flowing therefrom into the by gravity. (See arrows.) J

It will be seen that inthe construction and arrangement of the return main a and condenser fcno valves whatever are employed,

all the said piping beingin continuous open communication with the vacuum-pump 1,,

the arrangement being-such that the seal s discharge ends of' the condenser.

is located or'interposed between the inlet and Therefore no siphoning effect, due to the action of the vacuum-pump ,can take place ,the result being to produce a more'unrform pump action, together with the added advantages, such as economy and efliciency, hereinbefore set forth. The water is discharged from the pump to a hot-water. tank or other suitable reservoir via theeXhaust-pipe b, from-which tank the water may be pumped intothe boiler or steam-generating source in any well- 7 known manner.

I claim as my invention 1. In a steam-heating system of the character described, a'heater or radiator having a controlled outlet aid a circulating-pump, in combination with a continuously-open return-main interposed between and uniting said radiator and pump members, a water seal located in said main, and a condenser or coil tapped into and being in continuous open communication with the main and bridging said seal, so that all the water of condensation in said main and coil flows to the pump by gravity, the open coil also per- 1nitting the free passage of air to the pump 24th day. of November, 1905.

THOMAS F. DEXTER Witnesses: 2 GEO. H. REMINGTON, (J. A. PEIRCE. 

